It is difficult to assess whether legal and other means can have an impact in the short term, FC Basel said on Wednesday.

The reason for this decision of France was that strikes were announced in Nice on Thursday because of the pension reform. In recent weeks, there have been riots at several demonstrations against pension reform. Therefore, the Nice authorities feared that they would not be able to guarantee the safety of the FCB fans.

The order, released by the French Interior Ministry on Wednesday, also refers to a real and serious risk of clashes between fans of both teams. Relations between fans are characterized by hostility. They shared opposing political ideologies.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi reacted with relief and thanked for the ban. He previously urged Swiss fans to stay at home to prevent unrest in the city in southern France.

FC Basel talks about arbitrariness

FC Basel criticized this decision. The football club wrote in a statement that this was an act of administrative arbitrariness that the FCB had never experienced before. The club also emphasized in a statement that there is no particular rivalry between the fans of OGC Nice and FC Basel. The first match of last week also went mostly peacefully.

For FCB fans, this will likely be the second game in a short amount of time that they won’t be able to participate in the way they want. During a league game in Basel against Young Boys last Sunday, two fan sectors were closed because FCB fans attacked and injured security forces when the two clubs last met.

On Tuesday, the FCB suggested that its fans would be able to attend the game against OGC Nice under certain conditions. According to the FCB, one of the provisions was that flags and banners should be avoided.

(surrender)